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Jetrel (episode)
The scientist who developed a weapon that killed 300,000 of Neelix's people in a war fifteen years ago boards Voyager, claiming that Neelix is terminally ill. Summary Neelix and Tuvok are playing pool in the holodeck but Tuvok doesn't leave Neelix with a single shot. The pool shark and Paris explain that he can use a "safety" by hitting the cue-ball where Tuvok can't make a shot. Neelix thinks it is cowardly but opts to use a safety. He leaves the cue-ball behind two solids then mocks Tuvok to call his shot saying that it is impossible. Tuvok tells him, "The shot may be difficult, but to say it's impossible is an exaggeration." Tuvok calls his shot, then scratches – blaming the ship's stabilizers. The Hustler says, "Tom Terrific should have told you the table rolls a little to the east." Neelix tells Tuvok that he should have called a safety. Janeway calls Neelix to the bridge. They have received a subspace message from an approaching ship. They are asking to speak to Neelix, who identifies the ship as a Haakonian shuttle. The Haakonians were at war with Talaxians the for the better part of a decade, and conquered his homeworld more than 15 years ago. He has no idea what they would want with him now. Janeway introduces herself and the man asks to speak with Neelix who then approaches the viewscreen. The man says it is urgent but prefers to speak with him privately. Neelix's life may depend on it. Neelix then demands to know his name. The man apologizes and introduces himself as Dr. Ma'Bor Jetrel. Neelix storms off the bridge in rage. Janeway catches up to Neelix in his quarters. He tells her that Jetrel is a mass murderer, explaining that when he was young, he lived on a beautiful moon called Rinax with his family until the Metreon Cascade, a weapon of mass destruction devised by Dr. Jetrel. After the attack, Rinax was enveloped by a deadly cloud, and Neelix explained that the lovely days were then turned into one endless frigid night. More than 300,000 were killed instantly. Neelix was on Talax at the time with defense forces preparing for an invasion of the planet that never came. When the cascade was unleashed, Talax surrendered to the Haakonian Order. When Janeway asks of his family, Neelix breaks down in tears. Dr. Jetrel is beamed aboard, astonished with the transporter. Janeway tells Jetrel that Neelix has declined to speak with him and Jetrel is unsurprised at this. He is not very popular among Talaxians. Janeway reminds Jetrel that he said Neelix's life was in danger. He tells her that Neelix must undergo a medical scan, as he returned to Rinax after the cascade to rescue survivors. He may have contracted a fatal blood disease called metremia – causing the body's atomic structure to undergo fission, and the cells then disintegrate. Jetrel has specially designed equipment that can detect the disorder – he has examined as many of the rescue team members as possible in hopes of finding a cure. He pleads to Janeway for her to convince Neelix to see him. Neelix, visibly upset, prepares dinner in the mess hall. Kes asks him about the war. He tells her it is one experience that can't be shared, that it is too difficult to describe his feelings to someone who didn't see what he saw. Janeway enters and Neelix tries to make light of the situation. She tells him of the disorder and informs him Jetrel is here to screen him for the disease. He tells Janeway to tell him he's touched, but he would rather be immersed in a pit of Krallinian eels than be examined by him. Kes objects, saying that if there's something wrong, they should find out. In a fit of rage, he makes it clear he doesn't want Jetrel within ten parsecs of him. Janeway tries to convince him to change his mind. Neelix finds it strange that a man who made it his life's work to develop a weapon that destroyed so many Talaxians should suddenly be concerned for this Talaxian's health. Janeway thinks he might be trying to undo some of the damage he caused – to her Jetrel seems quite sincere. Neelix asks if the disease is fatal, what's the point of knowing? Kes tells him our Doctor might be able to help find a cure and she and Janeway encourage Neelix to talk to him. No one will force him to undergo any procedure. Outnumbered and outflanked, Neelix surrenders. While Jetrel is telling Neelix about the properties of the isotopes, Neelix asks him, "Why are you doing this?", trying to determine his motivations. Jetrel says he did what had to be done. "It was necessary to kill thousands of people and leave the rest to die of Metreon poisoning?" Jetrel didn't think there would be any radiation poisoning. It was unfortunate they were wrong. He developed the weapon but it was the Haakonian government and military leaders who decided to use it. Not him. "I would rather die than help you with your experiments. Find yourself another laboratory rat." Jetrel knows that he cannot alleviate Neelix's pain but he can help him and other members of his race. In sickbay, Jetrel prepares his equipment to scan Neelix. Neelix asks The Doctor, "Isn't there any way you could do this?" The Doctor replies, "Your newfound confidence in me is flattering but Dr. Jetrel has specialized training to deal with Talaxian Physiology." While Jetrel is scanning him, Neelix tells Kes a story about a nasty vermin found on Rinax. When he was a boy, he created a foolproof Talchok trap. He set it in the garden and the next day, he found one of the beasts pinned at the neck screaming in agony. Suddenly, it didn't look like a beast anymore. It looked like a poor innocent animal. He became so fascinated with his trap that he didn't think of how that poor creature would suffer. Jetrel says, "Are you finished? For now." Jetrel completes his scans and informs Neelix that he does have incipient metremia. As Neelix lies in his quarters, Kes comes to visit. He tells her this is not the first time he has faced death. He tells her another story about facing down an entire battery of Haakonian artillery. Kes cuts him off stating, "You're protecting me again." She understands why he doesn't want to talk about Rinax, but she's there with him now. She wants to face it with him together. When he first met Kes, he didn't know that she would only live for nine years. He didn't know how he would live without her. Now that he's going to die first, he doesn't have to worry about it. Before she met him, she had no idea that anyone could live over nine years, it seemed like an eternity. Now, it doesn't seem like enough. The important thing is to cherish the time they have together whether it is a day or a decade. Janeway stands in her ready room when Jetrel enters. She asks him to sit down. He continues to tell her that her ship is simply astounding. He has been studying the transporter system. She thinks he would be more concerned with Mr. Neelix. That is actually the reason for his visit. He believes that with some minor modifications to the transporter, he could retrieve a sample of the metreon cloud surrounding Rinax. If he can isolate the isotope that causes metremia, it could be used to synthesize an antibody. Now excited, she joins in, stating that the victim's own immune system could destroy the disease. The transporter makes it all possible. Containment fields would have to be erected and The Doctor could assist in making the antibody. Janeway calls the bridge, orders Jetrel's shuttle craft tractored into the shuttle bay, and set a course for the Talaxian system. Chakotay objects, stating that it is a significant detour. Janeway argues that it may mean saving Neelix's life. Janeway will send a request to transport materials from the cloud. Torres can help with the transporter modifications. Jetrel thanks Janeway. When walking to exit, Jetrel stumbles in pain, claiming that he is overexcited about the prospects of finding a cure. "All that sparring with Mr. Neelix does take its toll." She suggests a trip to sickbay, however he declines, wanting to get started on the transporter modifications right away. In sickbay, The Doctor asks Jetrel if he will require his assistance. Jetrel states that he will not need help until they have the isotope. He then asks Neelix if there's anything he can do for him. With having nothing to do, The Doctor takes advantage of his new ability to end his own program. Jetrel thinks that a hologram than can terminate itself is fascinating. Neelix asks him if there's anything besides science that makes his heart beat faster. Not anymore, he says, asking Neelix to take a seat. Neelix tells Jetrel that if he were in charge of the Cascade, he would have chosen a military target or deployed it on an uninhabited planet -- not target innocent civilians. Jetrel claims that the military strategists didn't believe that a demonstration would work. They wanted to show the power of the cascade in all its horror. In anger, Neelix tells him that he should have tried to stop them. Jetrel argues that if he hadn't discovered the cascade, someone else would have and the outcome would still be the same. He did it for his planet and for science. One must be willing to test the reaches of science and then be willing to live with the consequences. When Jetrel arrived home after the Cascade, his wife refused to be with him. In her eyes, he had become a monster. Shortly thereafter, she took his three children and left him, never to be seen again. Neelix then tells his own story. "After the cascade, a man returns to what used to be his home to look for survivors. The impact of the blast had set off hundreds of fires. There's just smoldering ruins and the stench of seared flesh. In the distance, in the middle of the emptiness, from a cloud of dust, he can see bodies moving, whimpering, coming toward him. They're monsters. Their flesh horribly charred. One comes toward him. Mangled arms outstretched. He turns away, frightened. Then the thing speaks. He knows by the sound of her voice that she's not a monster, but a child. A little girl. Her name was Palaxia. He brought her back to Talax with the other survivors. For the next few weeks, I stayed at her bedside and watched her wither away. Those are consequences, Dr. Jetrel." "There is no way I could ever apologize to you Mr. Neelix. That's why I have not tried." Neelix asks him if he ever thought his wife was right, that he has become a monster? "Yes." The day he tested the Cascade and saw that blinding light, he knew he had become a monster. Neelix wishes that Jetrel will have to live with that for a very long time. Unfortunately, he will not get his wish. Jetrel has advanced metremia, and he will be dead in a matter of days. In a bad dream, Neelix is playing pool with Jetrel. There's no open shot. Jetrel suggests he uses a safety like always. As Jetrel rounds the table knocking in all the balls, he refers to him as a coward. Janeway appears asking, "Why did you leave us?" I did what I thought was right. Paris appears, "You were afraid." Palaxia enters. "Why weren't you here to help us?" He approaches Jetrel pinning him on the pool table calling him a butcher. He rolls him over to see himself. He awakens when Janeway calls him on the comm. She tells him they are approaching Rinax. Neelix enters the bridge to see the charred remains of his home still hiding under the metreon cloud. He tells the bridge crew of a bright flash cutting across the sky – people threw themselves to the ground. Everything stopped. They looked up to see the sky oddly empty, realizing that Rinax was gone. Neelix asks to be excused. Torres calls Janeway from Engineering to tell her they are ready to start the transporter. Janeway appears sad as Neelix walks off the bridge. In Engineering, Jetrel prepares to gather the sample from the metreon cloud surrounding Rinax. He asks for a larger sample container. Torres tells him that it is big enough but he thinks otherwise. The isotope accounts for only a minuscule amount of the cloud. She tells him to relax, that she will get it. Torres begins the transport. She gets the sample aboard then wishes Jetrel good luck. Kes enters a dark mess hall looking for Neelix. She finds him sitting on the floor in the kitchen, having removed his combadge. He wanted to be alone. He tells her she doesn't know everything – she believes that he was on Talax, fighting with the defense forces the night Rinax was destroyed. He was on Talax, but not with the defense forces, instead he was hiding from them. He wasn't a hero, he claims, since he never reported for duty. He thought the war was unjust, but he didn't report because he was a coward. Punishment for refusing military service during war time was death. Kes says he put his life on the line for something he believed in, replying that he is not a coward. It makes him a liar. All these years, he's lied about it to everyone not because he's dishonest, but because he's ashamed. That is why he feels so angry toward Jetrel, not only because he killed his family, but because Neelix did nothing to stop him. Jetrel is in sickbay. The Doctor is ready to assist but Jetrel, having remembered the override command the Doctor used earlier, turns him off. He begins running a test – the test cylinder of dust turns into an organic form. At the same time, Neelix nervously walks through a corridor and enters sickbay, startling Jetrel. He tries to rush Neelix out of sickbay but Neelix sees the experiment and begins to question it. He says that he is going to the Captain, so Jetrel sedates him. Janeway calls sickbay but gets no response. She activates the EMH. The Doctor tells Janeway that Jetrel deactivated him. Tuvok locates Jetrel in Transporter Room 1. He then tells her that Neelix is unconscious. Janeway orders security to Transporter Room 1, and takes Tuvok along. They enter the transporter room and ask Jetrel to step aside. He asks to be allowed to continue, as lives depend on it. She's heard it before. "Let me bring them back." Neelix asks, Bring who back? "The Victims of Rinax." He tells Janeway that he has a way to isolate the individual isotope patterns in the metreon cloud to bring back his victims. Neelix objects but Janeway silences him. Jetrel claims that the disassembled bio-matter has been kept intact in suspended animation. He has discovered that reintegration is possible. He can use medical records to isolate a victim's genetic code and use the transporter to reassemble the fragmented bio-matter. Tuvok objects, stating that it is too implausible. Janeway agrees. Jetrel pleads with Janeway. He wants to show everyone he's not a monster. She asks if Neelix really has metremia, or if it was just a pretext to get Voyager to Rinax. Jetrel explains that Neelix does not have metremia but he does. He only has hours left to live. This is his only chance to try to bring back the victims of the Cascade and prove that he's not a monster. Neelix tells Janeway that if there's any way his plan could work, she must let him try. She objects, claiming that there are too many variables. "Please." She orders Tuvok to activate the emergency containment field. They re-target scanners and energize. Slowly, a humanoid form begins to form out of the chaos. The figure begins to lose cohesion. They try to compensate, but are unable to complete the transport. Janeway orders the pad be shut down. Jetrel then collapses. Neelix enters sickbay. Jetrel lies on a biobed. Neelix approaches. Jetrel thinks death is a fitting punishment. Neelix thinks the Cascade was punishment for all of them – for their hatred and their brutality. Neelix tells Jetrel that he forgives him. Jetrel closes his eyes. Neelix exits Sickbay, pausing to see him one last time. Log Entries *"Captain's log, stardate 48832.1. Kes has prevailed upon Neelix to allow Dr. Jetrel to continue metabolic scans in the hope that it will facilitate treatment once the antibody has been synthesized." *"Captain's log, stardate 48840.5. Dr. Jetrel's metremia is now in its final stage. He's spending his remaining hours in sickbay." Memorable Quotes "Did you ever think, that maybe your wife was right? That you have become a monster?" "Yes. The day we tested the cascade. When I saw that brightening light, brighter than a thousand suns, I knew at that moment exactly what I had become." : - Neelix and Jetrel "I'm simply a scientist. Yes, I developed the weapon. But it was the government, and the military leaders, who decided to use it, not I." "That must be a very convenient distinction for you. Does it help you sleep at night?" : - Jetrel and Neelix "Out cornered and outflanked." : - Neelix "Captain, please tell Dr. Jetrel that I'm touched by his concern for my state of health, but that I'd rather be immersed in a pit of eels than be examined by him." : - Neelix "Don't either of you find it the slightest bit strange that a man who has made it his life's work to destroy as many Talaxians as possible should suddenly be concerned with this Talaxian's health?" : - Neelix Background Information * This episode was a conscious attempt to re-create the chemistry and powerful dramatic effect of . (Interestingly, and perhaps not coincidentally, both episodes were the penultimate in the first season of their respective shows.) Whereas "Duet" was an allegory for the Nazi Germany treatment of several communities, this episode was a metaphor for the aftermath of the United States nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II. * In one of the main dialogs between Jetrel and Neelix in sickbay Jetrel uses the words "brighter than a thousand suns" to describe the intensity of the cascade's explosion. This is a reference to Robert Jungk's book "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" which is about the scientists involved in the development of the atomic bomb. It may, more directly be, a reference to a famous Oppenheimer quote; "If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds." * At one point, Jetrel also refers to his "country" and "the world" in ways more in keeping with 20th Century Earth rather than interstellar politics. This reinforces the story's link to the nuclear bomb. * Prior to this episode, James Sloyan had played Alidar Jarok and a future version of Alexander Rozhenko in , as well as the role of Mora Pol in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He reprises the role of Odo's "father" in . * The Doctor is given the ability to deactivate his own program. The computer command to do so is "Override Command 1-EMH-Alpha; End Program", but this command changes throughout the seven-year run into the shorter "Computer, deactivate EMH program", and "Computer, deactivate EMH". * This episode plot probably inspired the Star Trek: Enterprise episode , where the inventor of the transporter deceived the crew of the ship so he can use their transporter to undo the mistake he made. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.8, catalogue number VHR 4008, . *As part of the VOY Season 1 DVD collection. Links and References Main Cast *Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway *Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay *Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres *Jennifer Lien as Kes *Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris *Ethan Phillips as Neelix *Robert Picardo as The Doctor *Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok *Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim Guest Stars *James Sloyan as Jetrel *Larry Hankin as Gaunt Gary Co-Star *Majel Barrett as Computer Voice Uncredited Co-Stars *Tarik Ergin as Ayala *Julie Jiang as an operations division lieutenant j.g. *Richard Sarstedt as Lieutenant William McKenzie *Simon Stotler as an operations division ensign *Unknown performers as **Elderly science division officer **Female command division ensign Stand-in *Unknown actor as photo double for Ethan Phillips References artillery; battery; Battle of the Pyrithian Gorge; blood; death penalty; fission; Haakonian; Haakonian Order; Haakonian shuttle; isotope; Ka'Ree; Krallinian eel; metreon; metreon cascade; metreon cloud; metremia; Palaxia; parsec; pool; Pyrithian Gorge; Rinax; rodent; safety; Sandrine's; shale; stabilizer; Talax; Talaxian; Talaxian Defense Forces; Talaxian-Haakonian War; Talaxian system; talchok; transporter |next= }} Category:VOY episodes de:Dr. Jetrels Experiment es:Jetrel fr:Jetrel nl:Jetrel